Developer named First Citizen of Virginia Beach.

Ramon Breeden Jr., the president and CEO of The Breeden Co., has been named Virginia Beach’s First Citizen for 2013 by the Virginia Beach Jaycees.

The developer and philanthropist has served on the boards of the Hampton Roads Military Federation Facilities Alliance, the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Virginia Beach Education Foundation.

He also has contributed to a host of other organizations, including Horizons Hampton Roads, Virginia Gentlemen, Virginia Beach Neptune Festival, the Chrysler Museum of Art, Lead Hampton Roads, Volunteer Hampton Roads, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Sandler Center for the Arts and Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters.

Breeden has been a leader in pet-friendly policies for rental housing and in 2011 received the inaugural Lifesaver Award from the Virginia Beach SPCA.

Breeden was recognized in the March issue of Virginia Business as one of the commonwealth’s “most influential Virginians.”

Since 1961, The Breeden Co. has developed, built and operated more than 7,000 apartments, 2 million square feet of commercial shopping center and office space, 1,700 homes and three timeshare resort hotels.